Control device for adjusting a variablepitch marine propeller



Nov. 12, 1963 E GREINER 3 110,348

2 CONTROL DEVICE FOR ADJUSTING A VARIABLE-PITCH MARINE PROPELLER FiledNOV. 25, 1960 0 TORQUE 100% INVENTOR. Eqaen Guinev- Qr bMd- AttorneysUnited States Patent 3,110,348 KIQNTRQL DEVHCE FOR ADJUSTING A VAREAELE-FETCH MARllNE PROPELLER Eugen Greiner, Raveushurg, Wurttemberg, Germany,as-

signor to Escher Wyss Alztiengesellschait, Zurich, Switzerland, acorporation of Switzerland Filed Nov. 25, 1969, Ser. No. 71,545 Claimspriority, application Switzerland Dec. 4, 1959 Claims. (Cl. 17il135.74)

This invention relates to control device for adjusting a ships propellerwith adjustable blades and at least one engine driving the propeller andprovided with a speed governor controlling the power-medium supply tothe said engine. Such devices are known which have two adjustingmembers, namely a first adjusting member for varying the required valueof the engine speed, and a second adjusting member for varying the pitchof the propeller blades.

The speed governor is normally mounted directly on the propulsionengine. It is connected to the navigating bridge by a speed-adjustingmember. Its adjusting member affects the supply of power medium, andadjusts the latter so that the speed is maintained within apredetermined range. This regulating system serves principally toprotect the propulsion engine from overspeed.-

On increase in the speed, the supply of power medium is reduced and ondecrease in speed, it is increased. Increase in the supply of powermedium is, however, impossible when the engine is already fully loaded.

By means of the other adjusting member, the propeller pitch is normallyadjusted by hand. A safety device must limit the propeller pitch so thatoverloading of the propulsion engine is prevented. It should respond tothe effective value of the admission as a function of the spec For givenconditions, a definite propeller pitch, at which maximum economy ofworking is obtained, can be co-ordinated with each speed. The decisivefactor is the product of propeller eficiency and efiiciency of thepropulsion engine. The co-ordination will be different, however, if thehead resistance varies or, for example, if a propulsion engine isinoperative.

In a device of the kind described in the foregoing, all requirements aresatisfied, according to the invention, in a simple manner by providingthe engine with a speed governor afiording comparatively largepercentage regu-v lation, and by providing an additional speed governorof the constant speed or isochronous type, for adjusting the propellerpitch. This additional governor includes means for adjusting the controlspeed of the governor.

A constructional example of the device according to the invention isshown in simplified form in the drawing.

FIG. 1 shows an installation having a variable-pitch propeller driven-bythree engines,rand

FIG. 2 shows a plan of the control device.

FIG. 3 is a graph illustrating the operation of the device.

Three propulsion engines 1, 2, 3 drive by means of a gear 4 avariable-pitch marine propeller 5. Each of these engines 1, 2, 3 isprovided with a speed governor 6 which by means of a linkage 7 adjuststhe power medium supply to the engine. In the case of diesel engines,the linkage 7 would act on the fuel supply and in the case of steamturbines, it would act on the supply of steam to the machine. Indicatinginstruments F F F3 indicate on the navigating bridge the effective valueof the admission. This efiective value is first transmitted mechanicallyby linkage 8 to co-ordinated transmitters 9 and thence to the indicatinginstruments F F F by any remote-transmission means 113 of a mechanical,hydraulic or electrical nature. The governors 6 are proportionalcontrollers and are designed so that the engines 1, 2, 3 operate with acomparatively large percentage speed change, for ex. ample 8 to 10percent, or even more, between full-load and uo-load conditions. Thispercentage speed change also called speed droop, of the engines 1, 2, 3is larger than, for example, the percentage speed change permitted bythe governors used to regulate the water turbines in power stations.

A first adjusting member 12, to be operated by means of a hand lever 11,serves to adjust the required speed range at the governors 6 of theengines 1, 2, 3. The adjustment of the member 12 is transmitted bytransmission means 13 of any kind to speed-adjustingdevices 14 of thegovernors 6.

A second adjusting member 16, operated by a hand lever 15 is intendedfor adjustment of the propeller pitch. The propeller blades are actuatedby an adjusting motor mounted in a housing 17, this motor beingcontrolled by a speed governor 18 driven oil the propeller shaft andacting through a linkage 19. The governor 18 is provided with aspeed-adjusting device 26, and is so constructed that it operates forconstant speed regulation or at the most with a very small permanentpercentage regulation, that is to approximately for constant speedregulation. The movement of the adjusting member 16 is transmitted byany transmission means 21 to the speed adjusting device 2i) of thegovernor 18. The effective pitch value is transmitted by linkage 22 totransmitter 23 and thence, by any remote-control means 24 to anindicating instrument l-l mounted on the navigating bridge. a

The parts 11, 12, 15, 16 are'components of a control apparatus 25mounted on the navigating bridge. They are journalled in a housing 26 ofthis apparatus. The housing is provided with slots 27, 28, 29, withscales above them, and a rather wider rectangular aperture 36. A part 31rigidly connected to the adjusting member 16 is provided with pointers32 and 33, permitting the position of the member 16 to be read off onthe scales of the slots 27 and 28. Rigidly connected to the adjustingmember 12 is furthermore a part 34 carrying a cylindrically convextransparent screen 35 behind the opening 39. In addition, the part 34carries a pointer 36 permitting the position of the member 12 to be readoil on the scale of the slot 29. A rod 37 slidable in the direction ofthe axis of rotation in the part 31 projects by one end into an inclinedslot 38 provided in the bearing body of the housing 26, so that it isdisplaced in its axial direction on adjustment of the member 16 by meansof the hand lever 15. The other end 39 of the rod serves as indicatingdevice behind the screen 35. Each position of the two members 12 and 16is thus characterised by a point on the curved screen 35 as determinedby the relative position of the end 3? of the rod 37 relatively to thescreen 35.

Finally, denotes a fixing device, by means of which the influence of thespeed governor 18 on the propeller pitch adjustment can be eliminated.

The operation of the device is as follows:

To maintain a predetermined operating condition of the ship, therequired speed is adjusted simultaneously by means of the handles 11 and15 on the speed governors of the engines 1, 2, 3 and on the speedgovernor 13 of the propeller 5. Due to their comparatively largepercentage regulation, the governors 6 permit a certain amount of marginfor the speed, which varies according to the load within this margin.

- in FEGURE 3, the engine speed is plotted against the engine torque.Governor 6 regulates according to the sloping curve a with comparativelylarge deviation of the idling speed n from the full load speed n Theconstant-speed or almost constant-speed governor- 18, however, bysuitable adjustment of the propeller pitch,

ensures that the predetermined speed n is maintained by variation in thepower consumption of the propeller. Governor 18 causes the bladeadjusting motor to increase the propeller pitch on increase in speed andto reduce the propeller pitch on decrease in speed, and regulatesaccording to the horizontal line b in FZGURE 3. In this way, regulationto a definite point'P on the percentage regulation curve a of the enginegovernor is e ected and overloading avoided. Since the governor 13adjusted by the hand lever 15 in this case ensures that thepredetermined speed will be maintained, the hand lever 11 has by itselfno influence on the speed. Adjustment of the governor 6 shifts curve ain the vertical direction, and, in accordance with its percentageregulation, only produces a variation in the admission and hence in theengine power, whereby point P displaces horizontally on line b. Thiscorresponds to the load adjustment in the well known case of powerstation turbines in an electricity network. If the speed of the shipalters, for example due to influence of the wind, short-time rotaryspeed variations occur, which however are immediately smoothed out.Thus, the propulsion engines operate with the same power medium supply,even if the head resistance of the ship varies.

Without departing from the invention governor 18 may also operate with asmall speed droop, whereby line b of FIGURE 3 would slightly deviatefrom the horizontal direction while still having a definite point ofintersection with line a.

A definite position of the end 39 of the rod 37 corresponds to eachspeed. With variation in the supply of power medium to the propulsionengines by the hand lever 11, the screen 35 is displaced relatively tothe end 39 of the rod 37. Limit curves 41, 42 for the power mediumsupply, F=l00% and 0% and intermediate curves are plotted on the screen35. The hand levers 11 and 15 should always be adjusted so that the pinend 39 lies in the region between the two curves 41 and 42. In regard toa curve 43 which is also plotted it is assumed that it corresponds to aconnection between speed and power medium supply at which the besteconomy of the installation is also obtained.

In the control apparatus 25, it is possible to provide a positiveguidingof the rod end 39, so as to impose a suitable co-ordination ofthe movements of the two adjusting members 12 and 16. When positiveguiding is desired, screen 35 is replaced by another screen, similar toscreen 35 except that curve 43 is a slot instead of a line. The shipsinstallation can then be controlled by one of the two hand levers 11 and16, that is to say, by a single control member. The speed 11 adjusted onthe governor 18 of. the propeller 5 will then be read oil in the slot28.

This method of operation is more particularly suitable for free-movingships. The device also operates correctly should one of the propulsionengines be stopped. The propeller pitch will then be adjustedautomatically so that the remaining engines are not overloaded.

The governor 13 is preferably so designed as to operate in the regionabove 75% of normal speed. At lower speeds, its pendulum may restagainst the stop. The speed regulation is then taken over solely by thegovernors 6 of the propulsion engines, with the corresponding percentageregulation. The scale in the slot '26 and the curves of the screen 35arethen no longer valid. The scale in the slot 29 is preferably used forreading the speed range adjusted on the governors 6 of the propulsionengines. The hand lever 15, the position of which can be read off onscale H in the slot 27, then serves for the optional adjustment of thepropellor pitch H, unaffected by the speed. In the lower speed range,therefore, the apparatus can be used directly in the manner heretoforecustomary for optional adjustment of the propello-r pitch in the case ofspeed-governed propulsion engines. This method of operation ispreferably important for manoeuvring. a

If, however, in manoeuvring, a higher speed is desired, the fixingdevice 4 permits the pendulum of the speed governor 18 to be fixed inits lowest position. It is then possible, for any speed ran e which isadjusted by the hand lever '11 on the governors 6 of the propulsionengines, to vary the propeller pitch arbitrarily by operation of thehand lever 15, or also to maintain a predetermined functionalrelationship between speed and propeller pitch.

To facilitate the operation of the device, means may be provided whichin the case of free pendulum of the speed governor 18, automaticallyilluminate the then valid curve diagram F of the screen 35' and thescale u in slot 28, but in the case of fixed pendulum, the scales H andn ,in slots 27 and 29, respectively. A transmission device may beprovided for operating the locking device 4% from the navigation bridge.

The propulsion engines 1, 2, 3- =may be identical'or mutually difierentengines, for example, diesel engines, steam turbines, gas turbines, thegovernors 6 being advantageously adjusted to each other in theirpercentage regulation, particularly in full load region. In the case or"the use of different kinds of engines, it may also be found advantageousto distribute the power among the individual engines in a differentproportion for partial load from that :for full load.

What is claimed is: I

1. A control device for adjusting a variable-pitch marine propeller andat least one engine driving the propeller,

comprising servo actuated means for adjusting the propeller pitch; meansfor varying the supply of power medium to the engine driving thepropeller; a first speed governor operatively connected with said meansfor varying the power medium supply so as to increase the medium supplywhen the engine speed decreases and to reduce the medium supply when theengine speed increases, the first speed governor being designed tooperate with a relatively large permanent speed droop; a second speedgovernor operatively connected with the servo actuated means foradjusting the propeller pitch so as to increase the propeller pitch whenthepropeller speed increases and to reduce the propeller pitch when thepropeller speed decreases, the second speed governor being designed tooperate at least approximately with constant speed regulation at apredetermined speed value between the limits of said permanent speeddroop of the first speed governor; and two adjusting members operativelyconnected with said speed governors, one serving to adjust the speedrange of the first spwd governor and the other serving to shift thepredetermined value of the speed to be regulated by the second speedgovernor within the limits of said permanent speed droop of the firstspeed governor.

2. The device defined in claim 1 in which the two adjusting member areadjustable by hand independently of each other, and an indicating deviceis provided by means of which the maintenance of a predeterminedcoordination of the position of the two adjusting members relatively toeach other can be controlled.

3. The device defined in claim 1 in which means are provided for thepositive co-ordination of the movements of the two adjusting members soas to vary the relative position of the predetermined speed to beregulated by the second speed governor between thelimits of the speeddroop of the first speed governor in predetermined relationship to theadjustment of the range of said first speed governor.

4. The device defined in claim 1 in which locking means are operativelyconnected with the said second speed governor so as to allow suppressionof the influence of this governor on the propeller pitch adjustingmeans.

5. A control-device for adjusting a variable-pitch marine propeller andat least two engines driving said propeller, comprising servo-actuatedmeans for adjusting the propeller pitch; individual meanstor varying thesupply of power medium to each of said engines driving the propeller;speed governors, one associated with each of 5 said engines andoperativeiy connected with respective means for varying the power mediumsupply so as to increase the medium supply when the engine speeddecreases and to reduce the medium supply when the engine speedincreases, and designed to operate with a relatively large permanentspeed droop; said speed governors having substantially equal speed rangesettings; a further speed governor operatively connected with the serv0-actuated means for adjusting the propeller pitch so as to increase thepropeller pitch when the propeller speed increases and to reduce thepropeller pitch when the propeller speed decreases and designed tooperate at least approximately with constant speed at a predeterminedspeed value between the upper and lower limits of the permanent speeddroops of the first named speed governors; and two adjusting membersoperatively connected with said speed governors, one serving to adjustthe speed ranges of the first named speed governors and the otherserving to shift the predetermined value of the speed 6 to be regulatedby said further speed governor within the limits of said permanent speeddroops of the first named speed governors.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS770,146 Arrasmith Sept. 13, 1904 1,958,261 Blanchard May 8, 19342,192,790 Havill Mar. 5, 1940 2,437,546 Meripol Mar. 9, 1948 2,476,063Ridgley et al July 12, 1949 2,500,811 Forsyth Mar. 14, 1950 2,556,719Cushman June 12, 1051 2,575,357 Nichols Nov. 20, 1951 2,588,371Englesson Mar. 11, 1952 2,696,268 Marchant Dec. 7, 1054 2,759,549 BestAug. 21, 1956 2,94 ,601 Best June 21, 1960 2,964,112 Gunberg Dec. 13,1960

1. A CONTROL DEVICE FOR ADJUSTING A VARIABLE-PITCH MARINE PROPELLER ANDAT LEAST ONE ENGINE DRIVING THE PROPELLER, COMPRISING SERVO ACTUATEDMEANS FOR ADJUSTING THE PROPELLER PITCH; MEANS FOR VARYING THE SUPPLY OFPOWER MEDIUM TO THE ENGINE DRIVING THE PROPELLER; A FIRST SPEED GOVERNOROPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID MEANS FOR VARYING THE POWER MEDIUMSUPPLY SO AS TO INCREASE THE MEDIUM SUPPLY WHEN THE ENGINE SPEEDDECREASES AND TO REDUCE THE MEDIUM SUPPLY WHEN THE ENGINE SPEEDINCREASES, THE FIRST SPEED GOVERNOR BEING DESIGNED TO OPERATE WITH ARELATIVELY LARGE PERMANENT SPEED DROOP; A SECOND SPEED GOVERNOROPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH THE SERVO ACTUATED MEANS FOR ADJUSTING THEPROPELLER PITCH SO AS TO INCREASE THE PROPELLER PITCH WHEN THE PROPELLERSPEED INCREASE AND TO REDUCE THE PROPELLER PITCH WHEN THE PROPELLERSPEED DECREASES, THE SECOND SPEED GOVERNOR BEING DESIGNED TO OPERATE ATLEAST APPROXIMATELY WITH CONSTANT SPEED REGULATION AT A PREDETERMINEDSPEED VALUE BETWEEN THE LIMITS OF SAID PERMANENT SPEED DROOP OF THEFIRST SPEED GOVERNOR; AND TWO ADJUSTING MEMBERS OPERATIVELY CONNECTEDWITH SAID SPEED GOVERNORS, ONE SERVING TO ADJUST THE SPEED RANGE OF THEFIRST SPEED GOVERNOR AND THE OTHER SERVING TO SHIFT THE PREDETERMINEDVALUE OF THE SPEED TO BE REGULATED BY THE SECOND SPEED GOVERNOR WITHINTHE LIMITS OF SAID PERMANENT SPEED DROOP OF THE FIRST SPEED GOVERNOR.